8 oz white hominy* *Hominy is corn that has been soaked in lye and thoroughly rinsed. The result is corn kernels that have swollen in size and have a tortilla like flavor

1/2 tbsp dried oregano leaves

1 tbsp ground cumin

4 large avocados (To garnish)

8 oz sour cream (To garnish)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the poblano peppers and red bell peppers on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping the peppers half way through the cooking process. The skins should start to blister and loosen from the flesh of the peppers. Once the peppers are cooked and still hot, wrap them air tight in plastic wrap or place them in a tupperware with the lid on for 5 minutes. This will cause the peppers to steam and further loosen the skin from the flesh.

While the peppers are roasting, clean and cut the onion into large chunks about 1x1" and mince the garlic cloves. Rinse the hominy in a colander under running water. Combine onion, garlic, hominy, chicken stock, oregano, cumin and 1 tbsp kosher salt in the crock pot. Set cooking temperature to high.

Dice the pork shoulder into 1" cubes, removing the thicker fat portions. Some fat is okay and adds to the mouthfeel of the soup. Season the pork generously with kosher salt and add to the crockpot.

To clean the peppers, set the colander under the sink faucet. The peppers will still be hot, so remove the stem, seeds and peel off the skin under cold running water, catching the seeds and skin in the colander to discard. The seeds of the poblano are where the spicy heat will come from, so leave some poblano seeds if you want a spicier soup. Roughly dice all the peppers about 1/2x1/2" and add to the crockpot. Add the dried red ancho chile for an even spicier soup with a reddish hue, or omit the poblano seeds and dried chile for a milder soup and serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Stir ingredients in the crockpot to thoroughly mix and cook on high setting, with the lid on for 5 hours or until the pork is tender. The soup can also be cooked on low for 9-10 hours, perfect for prepping the day before and turning on before heading to work. If you're cooking with out a crockpot, use a large pot with a lid and cook at a low simmer, covered, for about 4 hours.

Courtesy of Chef Jonathon Olson, head chef at The Keep (at the Hotel LeVeque, Columbus Ohio) and friend of Saddleberk.

These sausages with fennel and peppers are great for tailgating, keep them warm in a covered pot over low heat and add some of your favorite ale or lager if they get too dry.

What you'll need (for 8 servings):

8 each Saddleberk sausages (your choice of Italian Fennel and Garlic or Bratwurst)

1 fennel bulb

1 yellow onion

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp vegetable oil

8 hot dog buns

Cut away the green parts of the fennel and discard. Stand the remaining white bulb on it's root end and cut it in half from top to bottom. Remove the solid white root from each half with angular cuts. Slice the fennel into long, thin strips (about 1/4" thick).

Cut the onions and peppers in 1/4" strips, the same thickness as the fennel pieces so all the vegetables will cook at the same rate.

Peel and mince garlic.

Over medium low heat, warm a pot large enough to hold all 8 sausages without them having to be stacked on each other. Once the pot is hot, pour in vegetable oil, add vegetables and let them cook 15 minutes, stirring every couple minutes so the vegetables do not caramelize.

Place the sausages in the pot, single layered, pushing them into the pepper mixture as they are added. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. After 8 minutes, turn the sausages, pushing them into the peppers as before. Cover the pot and continue cooking 7 minutes or until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Finishing the shoulder roast uncovered on high heat will give the pork a golden crust and caramelize the vegetables.

What you'll need (for 6 servings):

2.5 lbs Saddlberk ham shoulder roast

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 large carrots

3 ribs celery

5 medium red bliss potatoes

8 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, cut the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes into 1" to 1.5" pieces. Place the vegetables, thyme, and rosemary in an oven safe pot or baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix the vegetables and spread in an even layer on the bottom of the pot. Add the 1/4 cup of water.

Score the fat of the pork shoulder in diamond shaped cuts about 1/4" deep. Season all sides of the pork with kosher salt and pepper. Place on top of the vegetables, fat side up. Cover the pot or baking dish with a lid or cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Roast for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the pork is tender. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Remove the cover from the roast and basted the top of the pork shoulder. Cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the top layer of fat has become crisp and golden brown.

Let the pork shoulder rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the roasted vegetables.

Courtesy of Chef Jonathon Olson, head chef at The Keep (at the Hotel LeVeque, Columbus Ohio) and friend of Saddleberk.

Place ham steaks in a container large enough that they are not overlapping. Pour the marinade over the ham steaks. Cover the container and refrigerate. Let the ham steaks marinate for 4 hours, turning them half way through the process to ensure all sides are marinated evenly.

Over a medium high heat on the grill or in a pan with 1 tsp of vegetable oil, cook the ham steaks 4-5 minutes on each side. The internal temperature will register 145 degrees for proper doneness.

Remove steaks from grill or pan once done and let the steaks rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing. Serve as shown with sesame sticky rice and stir fry vegetables, but potatoes and sugar snap peas or broccoli would be just as good. To keep with the Asian flavors in the marinade, try serving the sliced ham steak atop a stir fry of lo mein noodles and vegetables.

Courtesy of Chef Jonathon Olson, head chef at The Keep (at the Hotel LeVeque, Columbus Ohio) and friend of Saddleberk.

The top layer of fat will render enough to become crispy and keep the meat below moist throughout the roasting process.

What you'll need (for 6-8 servings):

1 lb fresh Saddleberk pork belly

4 tbsp blackening seasoning

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 cup long grain rice

8 oz chicken livers

8 oz Saddleberk bratwurst, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch green bell pepper, minced

1 bunch kale

1/2 bunch sage, chopped

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Score the top (the side with the thicker layer of fat) of the fresh belly in a diamond pattern about 1/4" deep. Season all sides of the pork with blackening seasoning salt. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a roasting rack on the top. Roast the fresh side on the rack for an hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven up to 450 degrees and cook an additonal 15 minutes to brown the top of the fresh belly. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

While the fresh belly is roasting, cook 1 cup of rice following the instructions on the bag. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside uncovered so it does not overcook.

Cut the onion, garlic and green pepper and set aside until needed.

Clean the kale under cold running water to make sure there is no dirt in the leaves. Cut the leafy green of the kale into 1/2" strips, discarding the thick stems. Set aside for later use.

Chop parsley and sage and set aside. The will be the last ingredients added to the dirty rice.

Finely chop the chicken livers.

Start making the dirty rice when the fresh belly has 15 minutes remaining to be roasted at 325 degrees. Over medium-high heat, in a large sauté pan, warm 1 teaspoon vegetable oil until it starts to simmer. Crumble the chopped bratwurst into the pan and add the chicken livers. Turn the heat down to medium. Break the sausage and liver apart into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until any moisture that was released from the meat has evaporated.

Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic mixture to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until the peppers have become soft, about 15 minutes.

Stir the cooked rice and kale into the sauce pan. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the kale has become tender. Turn off the heat and finish the dirty rice with the chopped parsley and sage.

After the fresh belly has rested, slice into 6-8 pieces and serve with dirty rice.

Courtesy of Chef Jonathon Olson, head chef at The Keep (at the Hotel LeVeque, Columbus Ohio) and friend of Saddleberk.

Spice up your Easter plans (or any day of the year!) with these festive deviled eggs. (And please... be the hero of the potluck and bring an extra dozen deviled eggs- everybody always wants to take two, but feels bad. Ease their guilt, Superman!)

This meal can be assembled a day ahead and baked the next day for an easy dinner.

What you'll need (for 8-10 servings):

4 each Saddleberk fennel and garlic sausage links

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 sprigs thyme, finely chopped

2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

28 oz can peeled and crushed tomatoes

16 oz penne pasta

8 oz heavy cream

8 oz Italian blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring 1 gallon of water seasoned with 1 tbsp salt to a boil. Cook penne pasta until slightly underdone, about 8 minutes. It should still have a firm, but not crunchy texture. Once cooked, strain in a colander and run cold water to cool the pasta and prevent them from sticking to each other.

While the pasta is cooking, over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil in a pan until it starts to simmer. Place the sausages in the pan, turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for 7 minutes. Turn the sausages over and add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cover and continue to cook for another 7 minutes.

Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside on a cutting board to rest.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion and garlic mixture from the pan, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and heavy cream. Mix thoroughly. Add penne to the tomato sauce.

Slice the sausage in coin shaped pieces and add to the mixing bowl. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients together. Pour pasta into a 9"x13" baking dish. Evenly distribute the shredded cheese on top of the pasta mixture.

Bake pasta dish in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown. If the cheese begins to brown and the pasta is still cool in the middle, cover the dish with foil and continue cooking until the pasta is heated through.

Note: If the pasta dish is assembled and refrigerated the day before cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees, remove the foil and continue cooking until the cheese is golden and the pasta is heated through, about 20 minutes.

Courtesy of Chef Jonathon Olson, head chef at The Keep (at the Hotel LeVeque, Columbus Ohio) and friend of Saddleberk.

Traditional "samgyeopsal" (grilled pork belly) in Korea is extremely popular. By recent estimates, 46 lbs of pork belly are eaten by each person annually. In America, we tend to eat belly when it's processed as bacon, but there are awesome ways to prepare fresh belly as well! This is a simple, straightforward dish for your first foray into fresh belly.

It's cold here in Ohio and we wanted something hearty and simple for dinner tonight! Here's a great use for our Sundried Tomato bulk sausage- delicious, homemade meatballs. It's easier than you think, you can have dinner on the table in less than an hour.

Here's another awesome New Year's treat that might take a little more effort, but will more than pay off in the end. Pierogi is an eastern European (especially Polish) dumpling that can have many different types of fillings, but commonly use potatoes, cheese, ground meat and sauerkraut. See how it fits into the New Year's theme?

So we've already showcased some simple breakfast ideas, and you're thinking, well that's great, but I'm really just a pancakes and sausage type of person. Fear not, traditionalist, we've got an tasty, easy dish for you too!

Blueberry Maple Breakfast links are our most popular item, and they're regularly what most people associate us with. We often don't include them in recipes, simply because they're so good on their own!

This dish is insanely easy and oh so good. You can have them made in fifteen minutes and have a house full of happy campers with full bellies ready to start the holiday festivities!

Here's another super easy Christmas breakfast idea if you're looking for something with a little more spice to it. We took the humble breakfast burrito and kicked it up a notch with some fresh ingredients and of course, Saddleberk pork.

We thought we'd share our family's Christmas quiche recipe with you this year, substituting plain ground sausage for one of our favorites here at Saddleberk- the sundried tomato! Sundried tomato sausage is available in bulk form from all of our Kroger Marketplace locations. You can use it in many recipes and it even tastes great on it's own, but it really shines in recipes that make great use of tomato flavors, like pizza and pasta dishes. We think it's pretty great in this dish as well!

While deliberating what to have for dinner this evening, we immediately thought that something hearty and "fall" sounded good. Thinking back to our childhoods, mom used to throw together beef stroganoff fairly often and it was always such a yummy, easy meal.

Well, we're pork people around here and there's no reason we couldn't whip up a version of that classic dish using Saddleberk! We even think we've upped the ante a little bit with some pops of flavor you won't find in classic stroganoff. Enjoy!